Malacañang has assured that President Duterte will undertake appropriate measures to address the Reed Bank incident and will not just stay quiet about it.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo made the statement as the public has started to question the President’s silence about the recent sinking of a Filipino fishing vessel allegedly by a Chinese vessel.
The 22 Filipino fishermen aboard the anchored vessel were left to the seas for hours before they were rescued by a passing Vietnamese ship.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Panelo said that Duterte agrees with the statements released so far by Malacañang and the Departments of Defense and Foreign Affairs.
He also said that the “barbaric” and “uncivilized” act by the Chinese vessel of abandoning the Filipino fishermen requires a stronger action from the Philippines, especially if proven that it was intentional.
“The President will undertake measure that is appropriate for the incident,” he said. “Depende kasi ‘yan kung anong magiging response ng Chinese government sa ating diplomatic protest,” he added.
Panelo advised Filipino fishermen to be extra careful when fishing and report immediately when something unusual happens to the government.
“Maging maingat sila sa kanilang ginagawang pangingisda sa lugar na iyon at ipaalam kaagad sa atin kung anuman ang unusual na nakikita nila na maaring magkaroon ng kalakaran kung saan ang kanilang kaligtasan ay malalagay sa alanganin,” he said.
Panelo had earlier said that Duterte was not making any public statements about the incident as he was just cautious.
According to the Palace official, there’s a difference between the incident and the Canada garbage issue in which Duterte even threatened to go to war against the North American country.
“There’s a difference there. You must remember that the Canada incident has been there for five years, it’s a very long time. And this one, we don’t even know exactly what happened there, it’s still under investigation,” he said.
“The President is a very cautious man. If you noticed he makes calibrated responses,” he added.
Panelo also said that Duterte is speaking out to get the response he wants. “When the President speaks, they are intentional to get some desired effects or sometimes as he calls it he shakes the tree for reactions,” he said. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
